Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, February 15
Convocation Center
2:50 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
14-11 (4-8MAC)
69
vs
51
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Western Michigan
11-14 (4-8MAC)
1
2
F
Western Michigan
26
25
51
Eastern Michigan
39
30
69
EMU Hoops Rolls Past Western Michigan, 69-51
2/15/2020 5:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Eagles used a 17-0 first-half run to shrug off the Broncos
Photo Gallery | Highlights | Press Conference
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team earned its fourth win in its last five games, thanks to a convincing 69-51 victory over Western Michigan University Saturday, Feb. 14 inside the Convocation Center.
Trailing 15-11 early in the opening half, the Eagles (14-11, 4-8 MAC) recaptured the lead for good with a 17-0 run lasting more than five minutes. In all, EMU scored 23 of the next 26 points to build an insurmountable 34-18 lead and secure its fourth consecutive victory against the Broncos (11-14, 4-8 MAC).
Redshirt senior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)) had a perfect night from the field, pacing the Eagles with 17 points on 8-of-8 shooting while pulling down a team-best six boards, including four on the offensive glass. Freshman Chris James (Long Beach, Calif.-St. John Bosco) matched his career-high with 15 points as he reached double-figures for the first time since dropping 15 points against Michigan-Dearborn, Nov. 15, 2019, while junior Noah Morgan (Mount Vernon, N.Y.-Mount Vernon (Northwest Florida State)) also tallied 15 points along with a pair of boards, two steals, and an assist.
From there, junior Darion Spottsville (Phoenix, Ariz.-Shadow Mountain (South Mountain C.C.)) reached double-digits in points for the fourth time in his last six appearances, tallying 10 points, five assists, and a team-best four steals. For his part, redshirt junior Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) posted two points, five rebounds, and two swipes, and led the home side with six assists.
EMU shined on the offensive end with a 52.9 percent (27-of-51) field-goal rating, while WMU finished at a 40.9 percent (18-of-44) clip. The Eagles bested their intrastate rivals in several categories, including points in the paint (38-24), points off turnovers (24-8), fast-break points (14-2), bench points (30-7), and steals (11-4).
Junior Thomas Binelli (Bologna, Italy-Bergen Catholic (Monroe College)) put together another strong start for the Green and White, knocking down two of his first three attempts from beyond the arc to help cut WMU's lead to 10-8 with 16:12 to go in the opening half.
Trailing 15-11, James tallied eight unanswered points to put EMU back in front, 19-15, with 10:41 remaining in the first period. Morgan added a three-pointer, before he used a three-point play to cap a 17-0 run. The Green and White led by as many as 16, 34-18, during the opening half, and James beat the buzzer with a corner three to give EMU a 39-26 advantage heading into the intermission.
Although WMU scored the opening bucket of the second stanza, the Green and White responded with a 7-0 run to open up a 46-28 cushion with 16:11 to go in regulation. Although the Broncos cut EMU's lead to nine, 52-43, with nine minutes remaining, the Eagles pulled away with an 11-0 run lasting more than five minutes to build a 63-43 lead with 3:30 to go. The 18-point victory marks Eastern's third straight win within the friendly confines of the Convocation Center.
The Eagles look to continue their winning ways next week, as they remain at the Convocation Center Tuesday, Feb. 18 for a 7 p.m. tipoff against Kent State University.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team earned its fourth win in its last five games, thanks to a convincing 69-51 victory over Western Michigan University Saturday, Feb. 14 inside the Convocation Center.
Trailing 15-11 early in the opening half, the Eagles (14-11, 4-8 MAC) recaptured the lead for good with a 17-0 run lasting more than five minutes. In all, EMU scored 23 of the next 26 points to build an insurmountable 34-18 lead and secure its fourth consecutive victory against the Broncos (11-14, 4-8 MAC).
Redshirt senior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)) had a perfect night from the field, pacing the Eagles with 17 points on 8-of-8 shooting while pulling down a team-best six boards, including four on the offensive glass. Freshman Chris James (Long Beach, Calif.-St. John Bosco) matched his career-high with 15 points as he reached double-figures for the first time since dropping 15 points against Michigan-Dearborn, Nov. 15, 2019, while junior Noah Morgan (Mount Vernon, N.Y.-Mount Vernon (Northwest Florida State)) also tallied 15 points along with a pair of boards, two steals, and an assist.
From there, junior Darion Spottsville (Phoenix, Ariz.-Shadow Mountain (South Mountain C.C.)) reached double-digits in points for the fourth time in his last six appearances, tallying 10 points, five assists, and a team-best four steals. For his part, redshirt junior Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) posted two points, five rebounds, and two swipes, and led the home side with six assists.
EMU shined on the offensive end with a 52.9 percent (27-of-51) field-goal rating, while WMU finished at a 40.9 percent (18-of-44) clip. The Eagles bested their intrastate rivals in several categories, including points in the paint (38-24), points off turnovers (24-8), fast-break points (14-2), bench points (30-7), and steals (11-4).
Junior Thomas Binelli (Bologna, Italy-Bergen Catholic (Monroe College)) put together another strong start for the Green and White, knocking down two of his first three attempts from beyond the arc to help cut WMU's lead to 10-8 with 16:12 to go in the opening half.
Trailing 15-11, James tallied eight unanswered points to put EMU back in front, 19-15, with 10:41 remaining in the first period. Morgan added a three-pointer, before he used a three-point play to cap a 17-0 run. The Green and White led by as many as 16, 34-18, during the opening half, and James beat the buzzer with a corner three to give EMU a 39-26 advantage heading into the intermission.
Although WMU scored the opening bucket of the second stanza, the Green and White responded with a 7-0 run to open up a 46-28 cushion with 16:11 to go in regulation. Although the Broncos cut EMU's lead to nine, 52-43, with nine minutes remaining, the Eagles pulled away with an 11-0 run lasting more than five minutes to build a 63-43 lead with 3:30 to go. The 18-point victory marks Eastern's third straight win within the friendly confines of the Convocation Center.
The Eagles look to continue their winning ways next week, as they remain at the Convocation Center Tuesday, Feb. 18 for a 7 p.m. tipoff against Kent State University.
Team Stats
WMU
EMU
FG%
.409
.529
3FG%
.263
.350
FT%
.714
.615
RB
29
27
TO
19
13
STL
4
11
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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